The present invention relates to a locking slide for producing a releasable plug connection of plug parts. The locking slide is disposed in a manner that it is able to slide in a plug part, can be brought from a first open position into a further closed position and cooperates with the further plug part. In a closed position of the locking slide, at least one detent hook, arranged on the plug part, cooperates with a catch recess configured on the locking slide. A stop element is provided which cooperates with the detent hook in the open position of the locking slide.
Locking slides are used to safeguard an electrical connection between two plug parts, so that this connection is not inadvertently released. The locking slide is able to be brought from an open position into a closed position. To prevent the locking slide from moving or releasing the closed position in any other way whatsoever in response to shaking, at least one detent hook is provided which cooperates with a catch recess on the locking-slide side in the closed position of the locking slide. The detent hook is disposed on one side of the plug part and, when slipping the locking slide onto the plug part, will slide onto a leading slant arranged at the end of the locking slide, and specifically, until the detent hook is able to grip the leading slant from behind.
By further shifting of the locking slide in the direction of the closed position, the detent hook glides on another surface up to a further stop face. Upon reaching the closed position, the detent hook locks into a recess provided on the part of the locking slide.
Generally, the locking slide has a symmetrical design. This means that the slide direction onto the plug part is independent, so that a slide operation can be performed both from the left and on the right side, and the corresponding latching is effected. To that end, corresponding leading slants are provided both on the one side and on the other side, and a catch recess is also provided with which the detent hooks can engage.
A disadvantage of this design is that, because of the relaxation of the plastic material, the detent hooks can lose their corresponding function. This occurs, in particular, when the locking slide remains in one position over a long time, during which the detent hook rests on a leading slant. The danger thereby exists that the corresponding latching, that is to say, the positive locking in the closed position, is no longer present, and therefore the slide is no longer properly guaranteed.
An object of the present invention is to provide a latching for the locking slide in such a way that reliable functioning is fulfilled both in the closed position and in the open position.
Therefore, in accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention, two detent hooks are formed on the plug part; one detent hook is assigned exclusively to the latching for the closed position, and the other detent hook is assigned to the stop element in the open position.
In plug parts whose locking slides can be inserted from the right or the left depending on spatial conditions, two detent hooks are arranged in the plug housing. This means that one detent hook is arranged on one side of the plug housing, the other detent hook being disposed on the opposite side of the plug housing. However, on the locking slide itself, a catch recess is provided only on one side, the catch recess cooperating with the one detent hook in the closed position of the locking slide. Arranged on the other side of the locking slide is the stop element which interacts with the further detent hook in the open position.
Consequently, both functions are independent of one another, and the corresponding detent hooks take over the corresponding functions depending on the installation of the locking slide to the right or to the left.